Monty Bennett’s name will not appear on the ballot for the Tarrant Regional Water District board of directors yet he remains a powerful backstage player whose influence could shape the direction of the district’s business for years to come.

Andrews Distributing Co. of Fort Worth has finalized its purchase of the former Coors Distributing Co., boosting its North Texas beer and beverage distribution footprint.

The acquisition brings Andrews eight more brewing partners in Tarrant and Johnson counties, as well as more than 3,000 retail accounts in the region.

“These combined Fort Worth facilities will now equal the employee population at our other centers, and those men and women will service new brewery partners and hundreds of additional retailer partners,” said company founder Barry Andrews in a news release.

Andrews Distributing already had more than 1,100 employees, managing facilities in Dallas, Allen and Corpus Christi, as well as the smaller Fort Worth operation after Andrews bought the local Miller distributorship in 2008.

In February, following reports of the possible Coors acquisition, Andrews confirmed the possibility of constructing a distribution center at a site fronting Northeast Loop 820, about a mile west of Interstate 35W.

Andrews purchased the location in 2012.

“It’s an ideal location to consolidate our local operations and build a world-class facility similar to our Allen location,” said Mike McGuire, company president.

The Coors Distributing purchase almost doubles the number of local workers and adds brewing partners and brands such as those of Coors, as well as the Blue Moon brand franchise and locally based Rahr & Son’s Brewing Co.

“These combined Fort Worth facilities will now equal the employee population at our other centers, and those men and women will service new brewery partners and hundreds of additional retailer partners,” McGuire said.